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UNITED sTaTEs PATENT oEEIoE. i

'WINFIELD H'. YOST, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA, ASSIGNOR TO HARRYSTILLSON HART, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRAFT-RIGGING FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed January 7, 1911. Serial No. 61,429.

To all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VVINFL1 H. YosT, a citizen of the United State",residing at Montreal, in the Province of Quebec and Dominion of Canada,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Rigging for-Railway-Cars, of which the following is a description.

The object of my invention 1s to provide a draft rigging f= railway carswhereby the draw-bar will Lnyieldingly connected with the draft timbersof the car; the construction of the rigging being such'that applicationof force on the draw-bar will meet with a yielding resistance, and whenthe force is removed, the recoil' will be reduced to a minimum. i

The purpose of my invention is to provide a lever mechanism soconstructed as .to prevent any displacement thereof during its movement;and one which will return to normal position as soon as force on thedraw-bar is removed.

Another object of my invention is to provide lever mechanism in whichthe levers, in additionto relieving the springs, perform the functionsof followers and enable the latter to be dispensed with.

A further object of my invention 1s to provide a lever mechanism whichis so constructed and assembled, that the forces caused through theaction of the draw-bar on the levers, and the levers on the intermediatesprings, and the levers on their fulcrum points on the draft timbers,will be in substantially parallel lines and also be parallel with thecenter line and sides of the car, thus preventingr undue strains or anyspreadingT tendencyY of the center sills of the car; the mechanism beingso constructed that movement of the levers in relation to each otherwill be madepositive, as will more fully appear from the followingdetailed description.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a horizontal central sectional view of mvinvention, looking downwardly. Fig. Q is a transverse sectional viewtaken on the line rz-rz of Fig. 1. looking in the direction of thearrows. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of two of tige levers showing thesame'in position to e assembled, or placed one on top of the other.

1, 1 are cheek plates or members secured to the draft timbers or members2. The

cheek plates or members are provided at opposite ends with draft-lugs 3,3 and l, 4; that is, a set of draft-lugs 3 and l is provided at each endof the cheek plates as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

5 is a draw-bar to which the coupler, not shown, is secured, thedraw-bar being suitably mounted in the car frame and provided with aktail strap or yoke 5, which latter is secured to the draw-bar by rivetsor in any other suitable manner. At each end of the cheek plates, asclearly illustrated in Fig. 1, I provide the superimposed levers G and7. llatcs 8 and 9y are inserted between the cheek plates with theconcentric springs l0 and 1l inserted between the plates 8 and 9, andbearing against the same, thereby holding the plates 8 and 9 against thcinner ends of the levers (3 and 7 of both sets at oppo site ends of thecheek plates. Springs 10 and ll hold the plates 8 and 9 in frictionalengagen'ient with the levers and form a yielding resistance to themovement of the levers and the draw-bar withrelation to thedraft-timliers. The lever mechanism consists of oppositely movablemembers, and 1 prefer to employ two 'sets or pairs of levers (S and 7 ateach end of the mechanism as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The inner ends oflevers (3 are provided with vertically eX- tending lugs 12, whilewthelevers 7 are provided at their inner ends with the vertically extendinglugs 13. The levers 6 and 7 are also provided at a point intermediate oftheir ends and on the adjacent or contacting surfaces thereof with theribs or flanges 15e and 15.

'hen the levers are assembled the lugs 1i). and l?, will bear againstthe narrower sides ol'v the correlated or adjacent levers, while. theribs or (langes 14 and 15, which are formed in the arc of a circle, abutagainst each other and control the movement of the levers in both.directions. The levers are superiml'iosed and arranged in pairs, bybringing the adjacent faces of the two levers. shown in Fig. 3,together, with they ribs or flanges 14 and 15 abutting against eachother. These fianges or ribs 14 and 15 will prevent any relativetransverse movement of th'c levers, While the lugs12 and 13 will causethe levers to interlock at the extreme point of their movement or travelin one direction, and while the levers are at rest or in normalposition, these lugs will prevent further relative movement of thelevers in the other direction. The outer ends of the levers which extendbeyond the line of the draw-bar or yoke and in between the draft-lugsare so formed as to provide a square bearing on the draft-lugs, 3, 3 ofthe cheek plates, as clearly shown in Fig. l, at 16. By forming thelevers with the squared outer ends, thenecessi ty for followerplatesintermediate of the levers and the yoke or draw-bar is ohviated, becauseinoperation the levers will bear flatly against the draft-lugs 3 andthus apply the. force in a line substantially parallel with the sides ofthe car; the levers l and 7 performing the same function as thatperformed by the follower-plates in constrlwtions heretofore employed;that is, thc levers will rotate when moved in one direction, using theyoke or draw-bar as a bearing surface.

In the operation of the draft rigging, as shownin Fig. 1, when force isapplied to move the car to the left the tail strap or yoke 5 will movethe follower-levers (5 and 7 at the right of the ligure bodily towardthe left (compressing vsprings 10) until the outer, or fulcrum,ends ofthe follower-levers engage the draft lugs 4 at the right of the figure,the resistance to the movement of the yoke up to this point being onlythat due to the direct expansive force of the springs. Further movementof the yoke to the left causes the follower-levers to rotate upon thedraft lugs 4 as fulcrums, the yoke bearing upon the sides of. the leversand causing them to rotate and increase the resisting power of thesprings by reason of the differential movement between the yoke andfollower-levers. During the movement of the follower-levers thecorrelated surfaces 14 and 15 of the respective levers bear against oneanother and prevent the levers sliding over one another and, moving outof engagement with `the draft lugs, these surfaces also serving toinsure uniform movement of both levers. In the event of the springsbecoming broken, or of failure of some part,'whereby the travel of thelevers will be increased beyond the normal limit, the lugsrlQ and 13will interlock and prevent the levers from rotating sufficiently todisengage from the draft lugs and so obviate total failure of the gear.

During the above described operation the follower-levers at the otherend of the gear remain immovable, the lugs 12 and 13 of the respectivelevers each bearing against the adjacent lever and causing the latter tointerlock and form an abutment resisting the pressure of the springs,the ends of the levers transmitting this pressure directly to the draftlugs 3.

As each end of the draft gear is exactly similar in construction theoperation of the gear when force is applied in the opposite directionwill be readily understood from the above description.

It will bc noted that the levers 6 and 7, both while acting upon thesprings to compress the latter when the force is 1n one direction, andwhile transmitting the pressure of the springs to the draft lugs 3 whenthe force is in the opposite direction perform the functions offollowers and so enable the latter to bedispensed with.

It is apparent from the construction f the carriers being fastened tothe sills in any suitable manner. rlhese carriers 18 not only form tiesfor holding the sills' or cheek plates at a positive distance apart, butalso carry the yoke 10 which in turn -carries the entire draft gear.

The draft rigging is assembled in thc following manner -Yoke 10, whichmay be formed as shown in the drawings, is connected to the coupler ordraw-bar 5 in any suitable way and has fitted into it the two sets ofsuperimposed levers 6 and 7, with the springs 10 and 11 and plates 8 andl) inserted between the two sets of the levers. The yoke with the leversand springs is then dropped in between the cheekplates 1, 1 in such amanner as to bring the outer ends of the levers in proper place betweenthe draft-lugs 3, 3 and 4, 4; it being understood that the cheek plateshave previously beeny riveted 0r secured to the center sills 2, 2 of thecar. After the mechanism has been thus assembled'and put into place, thecarriers 18 are bolted to the sills as previously described, therebycompleting the application of the gear or draft rigging to the car. Inview of the frictional contact between -the outer ends of the levers andthe draftlugs 4, 4, I prefer t0 provide the cheek plates at the points4, 4, which form the fulcrum points for the levers, with a hardenedmetal insert as shown at 19 in Fig. 1. By providing the fulcrum points4, 4

'of the cheek plates with the hardened metal insert, the wear caused bythe levers frictionally rocking `about the points will be prevented.

The construction of draft rigging-that I have described and illustratedin the drawmg may be varied in certain minor details l. l. 'i

without departing from the spirit of my invention, as for example, thenature of the ting surfaces .cheek plates provided with coactingintermediate ribs or flanges on the adjacent faces of the levers may bemodified, and l do not wish to be understood therefore as limitingmyself to the exact construction illustrated, but

What I claim as my invention and wish to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A draft rigging for cars having levers Whose outer ends projectbeyond the line of the draw-bar, and spring-mechanism interposed betweenoppositely arranged sets of saidlevers, said levers being provided at apoint intermediate of their ends with abut- ;whereby relative transversemovement of the correlated levers is prevented, the outer ends of saidlevers being squared to form flat bearing surfaces against thedraft-lugs.

2. A draft rigging for cars, comprising drafting-S, means secured to thedraft-lugs whereby 'wear thereon will be prevented, levers hav- .mgrounded ends to permit of free movement and fiat sides adapted to extendbetween the lugs to provide a fiat bearing against one of the lugs,while the other side of the lever extends normally at an angle to theadjacent lug about which it is adapted to rotate, and spring mechanismarranged between the levers at opposite ends of the draft rigging. v

3. A draft rigging for cars ,consistinf7 of draft-lugs extendingsubstantially at right angles to the draft timbers of the cai-,a yokesecured tb the draw-bar, levers provided with correlated surfacesintermediate of their ends about which the adjacently placed leversrotate and movement lengthwise of each other is prevented, the innerends of the levers being formed so as to prevent relative movementbeyond predetermined points in a longitudinal direction, the sides ofthe levers being formed so as to provide substantially fiat bearingsurfaces for engagement with the draft-lugs and the end s of the yokewhereby the lines of force are maintained parallel with the center lineof the car, and spring mechanism interposed be tween said levers toprovide a yielding resistance to the draw-bar.

' Il. A draft rigging for cars comprising draft-lugs, a draw-barextension or yoke, levers provided with abutting surfaces to preventrelative movement in a direction lengthwise of the levers but permittingthe same `to-rotate and having extensions arranged to engage the side ofthe adjacent lever, said levers being provided with flat surfacesarranged to bear against the lugs and the ends of the draw-bar extensionwhereby the lines of force are maintained parallel with the center lineof the car.

5. In a draft rigging, spring mechanism, relief levers for themechanism, said levers being at the end of the spring mechanism, draftlugs adapted to be engaged by the levers, such lugs being arranged onthe opposite side of the levers to that upon which the spring mechanismis located, abutment surfaces adapted to be engaged by the levers, suchabutment surfaces being arranged on the same side of the levers as isthe spring mechanism, and a bearing member between the spring mechanismand levers, such bearing member being permanently out of contact withsaid abutment surfaces.

(3. In a draft rigging, the combination with spring mechanism and draftlugs, of a lever adapted to act upon said mechanism, one end of thelever being located between the draft lugs and having one side formed topresent a substantially flat bearing surface toone of the normallyextending at an angle to the surface of the other lug.

WINFIELD H. YOST. Vl'itncsses ROBERT M. ZIMMERMAN. H. A. HATFIELD.

lugs, the opposite sidey

